


The truth

by myotishia



Series: Thin ice [10]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Body Horror, Fluff and Angst, Multi, residual creeps from halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-27 04:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21386095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: No one in Cardiff can tell a lie and not even Torchwood are spared. How will a secret organisation cope when they always have to tell the truth.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Thin ice [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1465414
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Unravelling

**Author's Note:**

> New reader? Start right [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551278)

Rhys sat up in bed as Gwen got ready for work.

“Anything special about today?” He asked, rubbing the residual tiredness from his eyes. 

She looked over her shoulder as she sat on the bed to put her socks on. “No, why?”

“You usually only wear that top when something important’s happening.” 

“Oh, no, this is just the only one Anwen hasn’t thrown up on yet.” She smiled. “Have you seen my boots?”

“By the door. I chucked them there last night.”

“Why?”

“The smell.” He stopped, shocked that he’d actually said that. He thought it but he meant to just say it was so he didn’t trip over them. “I mean… Urm… Yea.”

“My feet do not smell.”

“Your work boots do. I didn't mean to say that.”

“Don’t try and take it back now.”

“No, I mean I didn’t mean to say that. I was going to say something else but that’s what came out.”

“You’re lucky I love you.” She said, standing. 

“Gwen. I’m not taking the piss.” The look on his face said something was very wrong. 

“Are you ok?”

“I feel fine but that was really weird.” 

“I’m sure you’re just half asleep still.”

“Yea… That could be it. Go on, it’s nearly time for you to go. Be safe, yea?”

“I will. You don’t usually worry about me this much do you?”

“Yes… I mean yes… I mean I always worry about you getting hurt.” 

“I’ll be ok. How many fingers am I holding up?” She held up three fingers. 

“Three. Why?”

“Say I have two.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

“You are holding up thr-... Three… Thr-damn it.”

“Get dressed. I’m going to call for help.”

“You think it might be alien stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Is it just me? Here, how many fingers am I holding up?” He held up four. 

“Four… I mean if you want me to tell you a different number then four… Four… Not just you then.”

Jack sat at the head of the meeting room table. “Please tell me you’ve got something to report.”

“Yes and no. There is a vague signal which I think is preventing us from saying anything we don’t believe to be true but there’s so much interference I can’t pin it down.”

“Not what I was hoping for but it’s something. I’ve known of a few things that can do this. Usually used in court rooms until they realise it isn’t one hundred percent reliable.” 

“How?”

“A few ways. You can convince yourself a lie is the truth. You can twist your words to use other peoples assumptions to your advantage. Or you can simply refuse to talk.”

“Does it work in writing too?”

“Some do, some don’t. We should probably find out. I’m not a fan of working under these conditions, especially if we have to talk to jo public.”

Owen smirked. “Yea, hi we’re from Torchwood. Deal with aliens. Think you’re all thick as shit. That’ll go down great.” 

“That’s how you always talk, how’s anyone going to tell the difference?” Elise teased.

“Yea, but that’s me. One of you lot saying it might end a bit differently.”

Jack crossed his arms. “I’m more worried about the possibility that this was set off by Elises stalker. If people work out no one can lie he could con them into anything.”

“You think it won’t affect him too?”

“You know more about daemons than I do. What do you think?”

“I can’t be sure but they’re very resilient against any kind of manipulation. At least the ones I know of anyway. Their genetics are so flexible that by our standards a set of twins could be two completely different species. He feeds on strong human emotion though so he is a likely candidate for setting this off. What better way to cause conflict.”

“Honesty isn’t always the best thing. Society runs on little white lies.”

Ianto opened the door. “Sorry to interrupt but depending on how tired you are I’m about to make your day more interesting or a lot worse.”

“What’ve you got?”

“Possible alien tablet. It’s set up to be put on display but every person that’s handled it since it was excavated has woken up with physical abnormalities.” He sent an image to the screen on the wall.

“I don’t recognise the writing.”

“I can set up the translation programme while I’m trying to pinpoint the truth filter.” Tosh said, a little excited to work on a new language. 

“Keep at it. Owen-”

Owen waved him off. “I know. I’ll check out what’s going on with the mutations. See if they can be reversed.”

“Reading my mind?”

“No, thank god.” Owen pushed himself away from the table and stood. “Being as I have to go and see these people I’ll take Gwen with me. That way, I don’t need to talk.”

“I think that’s for the best.” 

“I’ll get you the list of names and where they are.” Ianto said, heading out of the room, followed by Owen and Tosh. Elise stood to go.

“Elise, before you go?” Jack began, pushing out a chair next to him with his foot. 

She sat, a little perturbed. “Ok. What can I help with?”

“Are you ok? I’ve heard this whole situation is taking its toll.” He said quietly.

She shrugged. “It’s not easy I’ve got to admit. I’m doing my best to not let it get to me but… Well, it’s tough. Just… Really tough.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Probably not. I know it’s not safe for me to go off on my own so I’m just going to have to deal with it. Even if we somehow caught him he’s going to be nearly impossible to kill. Future Owen once mentioned you killed Abaddon in my old timeline by making him choke to death. Nothing else would have even made a dent and I don’t think this guy’s going to let that happen. I can’t turn to Rofocale to get backup from their side so… We’re stuck.”

“For now. We’ll work something out.”

“I hope so. Thanks for checking up on me… Do I really look that bad?”

“No… Ianto told you about our run in with Solomon, didn’t he?”

“Yea, he mentioned it. Was there something he said?” 

Jack picked Elises dream journal off a chair next to him and placed it on the table. “I’m not going to make you, but do you want to talk about the torn out page?”

“What has Ianto told you?” She pulled the book, now stuffed with extra notes, towards herself. Anything so she didn’t let the blank mask of her face slip. 

“No details but I can put the pieces together. Between what Solomon said and how violently Ianto reacted when he did. Well, I wasn’t born yesterday.” 

“Have you said anything to anyone else?”

“Of course not.”

She sighed and brushed her fingers through her hair. “I don’t even know how to explain what happened. The night it happened, when I woke up I just told Tosh it was the usual. She was so used to me waking up screaming that she believed me. Rofocale saved me from whatever that creature had planned but… How do i even begin to put this into words?”

“Take your time.”

“You’ve had something invade your mind before, right?”

“Yea.” He was strong and most telepathic invaders couldn’t make a dent in his defences but when they did it was like hell. It wasn’t just the pain, it was the shame of having your deepest thoughts and feelings exposed. Your last sanctuary invaded.

“It’s like that but it’s your essence, the thing I guess you could call your soul and there’s nothing you can do. You can fight all you want but it doesn’t make a difference. It’s like something rotten spreading through everything you are, tainting everything it touches. It makes fractions of a second last for years and you end up feeling like you’re… Nothing. You’re not a person anymore and everything is agony… And the worst fucking part is the one who’s doing it is getting a kick out of it. They’re enjoying making you suffer... In the rift I’ve been stabbed, beaten, bled out but I’d do all that over again, willingly, so I never had to experience what that monster did to me ever again.” 

He frowned deeply, not knowing what to say but sure he had to stop her spiralling. She was shaking and her nails were dug into the leather cover of the book, tears running down her face and dripping onto the table. He reached out, tentatively offering a hug. She turned, her blood feeling like ice in her veins, and fell into his arms. Words weren’t necessary. For now Jack was concentrating on comforting his friend, but later he decided he would find some way of delivering a very painful end to Solomon Ascher.

Owen pulled up to the hospital, unsure what he was going to find as there had been no photos. 

“Why me? I’m not complaining, just curious.” Asked Gwen, dodging one of the pillars beside the path.

“Because you’re good at keeping people calm and I don’t want to have to dodge any punches today.”

“They’re in hospital. Stuck in bed. Why would anyone try and punch you? Your bedside manner might be crap but it’s not that bad.”

“These people are going to be scared and when people get that scared they can lash out, and I’m usually the closest target.”

“There have been a few times you’ve asked for it.” She smirked.

“Not intentionally. I just talk before I think sometimes.”

“I like this honest version of you.”

“I bloody don’t.”

“Why do you avoid Anwen when I bring her in, then?”

He rolled his eyes. “Gwen, leave it.”

“No, come on. You’re not afraid of kids are you?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Because…” He tried to make a sarcastic remark but that was, apparently, considered a lie. “Because if I get attached to the sprog then I’m going to worry about her all the sodding time. Every time she has a sniffle or a cough I’m going to start assuming the worst and not be able to sleep. Babies are fragile. All it takes is some dipshit with the flu not covering their mouth when they sneeze and she could end up in hospital. Happy now?”

Gwen smiled softly. “So, you really do care.”

“Course I bloody do. I’ve already got her vaccine schedule planned.”

“She has a doctor you know.”

“Yea, but they don’t have access to the vaccines for what you might bring home. Remember when you joined? I wasn’t giving you those injections for shits and giggles.” 

“Owen.”

“Yea?”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t get mushy about it. We’ve got stuff to do.”

“Still.”

Owen grabbed a chart from next to the nurses station, glad that Ianto had looked up the hospital room designation for him before they left. The head nurse looked over, recognising them and turning away. She found it was better just to pretend you didn’t see what Torchwood was up to. He flicked through the chart, not sure what to make of the notes. In the room the patient was huddled under a blanket, facing away from the door. Owen pushed the door open and an eye peeked from under the blanket. 

“This is Doctor Harper, and I’m Gwen Cooper. We’re here about your condition.” Said Gwen, closing the door gently behind them. 

Lucas sat up, looking between them. “Do you know what’s happening to me?” He asked, his voice shaking. 

“We’re going to find out.”

He let the blanket fall from around his head and shoulders revealing multiple eyes growing over his body. Each moved and blinked in time with the two that were still where they should have been. 

Owen blinked away the disbelief. “Can you see out of them?”

“Yes… I … Some of them I can’t, maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Everything’s dark in some of them. Others look red… Some I can only see when I breathe in.” 

“Have any more grown since you got here?”

Lucas nodded, every eye blinking audibly.

“Right, Gwen, a word?” Owen walked out of the room.

“We’ll be right back. Just try and rest.” She said before following. “What was that?”

“The eyes are growing like cancer. They’re out of control.”

“Is there anything you can do? You can remove them, can’t you?”

“A lot of them I can but some… Some would leave massive amounts of damage that I’m not sure he’d survive. If they weren’t still growing I’d be getting him back to the hub now but every one I removed could be replaced in the next hour. He has eyes growing on his lungs, in his heart and I’m guessing there’s going to be a few in his brain too. If I could have somehow put him into a stasis state an hour ago then I could slow it down but now…”

“How long has he got?”

“Ten minutes? An hour? I can’t give you a concrete answer with the way they’re growing.”

“What should we tell him?” She asked, knowing she couldn’t just tell him he’d be ok, or that they weren’t sure.

“Tell him… There are similar cases we’re investigating and the best thing he can do right now is sleep. It’s all true and it’ll be something for him to hold on to. I’m going to check on the others that were exposed to the tablet. We can tell them the same thing, but I hope we won’t have to.”

Tosh had just finished translating the golden words on the tablet as a puffy eyed Elise was sat in Owens chair and wheeled over next to her. Jack guiding her. 

“What happened? Are you ok?” Tosh asked, looking between them. 

Elise nodded. “I had to talk something out and I’m not doing great. I can help with whatever.”

“Looks like you’ve got somewhere with the translation.” Jack smiled, his voice soft and calm.

Tosh rested a hand on Elises knee before replying. “Yes. It looks to be a warning, similar to what’s found in the tombs of pharaohs. The curse it describes mentions that it would shrivel the hearts of anyone who disturbed the remains underneath. Your typical tomb curse to be honest. Without examining the tablet itself I can’t tell you how it’s enacting the curse or even what it’s made of.”

“Sounds like I’m going to have to bring the tablet in. Any luck pinpointing our lie suppressor?”

“Not yet. I’ve filtered out half of the background interference so it shouldn’t be too long, fingers crossed.”

“Call me if you get anything while I’m out.”

“I will.” She nodded, watching him run off to find Ianto. There was no way he could lift the thing alone and Ianto was the only one who remembered half of the safety procedures. Half of the time Jack just went for things and hoped for the best but from how Ianto looked when he mentioned the case it was best to be as safe as possible. Slipping through the hidden door he found Ianto at his computer. 

“Are you busy?”

Ianto looked up. He wasn’t busy at that very moment but he didn’t want to say no. “I have a gap in my schedule.”

“Great. We need to get that tablet and I can’t lift it on my own.”

“I’ll be right with you. Are you sure they’re going to want to give it up?”

“No, but keeping it isn’t an option. Being as it’s causing mutations we could say it’s giving off radiation. We don’t have to tell them what kind.”

Pulling up to the museum they found it surrounded by police and familiar white and blue tape. 

“I’m not going to be happy if someone got to that thing before us.” Jack grumbled to himself as he parked. Ianto followed after Jack approached one of the officer and flashed both his ID and a smile. “What’s going on?” 

The officer, a young woman with blond hair and the eyes of someone who could take down a man three times her size, looked at the ID and brushed off Jacks charm. “A robbery sir.”

“Strange place to rob, a museum, don’t you think?”

“They didn’t take money sir. They took one of the artefacts. A new exhibit that hadn’t even opened yet. The thief did… something to the security guards.”

“Something?”

“They’re acting… It’s hard to explain. If you need to see them they’re being held in the staff room inside. 

Jack nodded and swept into the building. Forensics were already in the room where the tablet was being kept.

“Do you think it was Solomon?” Asked Ianto, keeping pace.

“Anything could be him at this point. It’s a bit coincidental though. Maybe the guards can give us some idea.”

“If they’re in any shape to talk.”

“You’re very pessimistic today.” 

“I think of it as being realistic. When was the last time we found someone influenced that was made to see sunshine and cupcakes?”

Jack chuckled softly. After seeing ID the officer at the door to the staff room let them in. The three security guards were slouched down in chairs, shaking and staring into nothing. The captain crouched next to one of them.

“Hi… Can you hear me?” He asked softly. 

The guards eyes darted to him. “N-no more… Please… Don’t… Don’t hurt me.”

“What happened? Who did this to you?”

“His eyes. Like fire… He reached into me… Oh god.” The guard shuddered, arms wrapped around himself. “I… I just want my mum… I want to go home.” 

“It’s ok. You’re safe now. He’s gone.”

The man began to sob softly, falling from his chair and curling into a ball on the floor. Jack looked to Ianto.

“Think retcon’ll even work?”

“It’s worth a try… It’s better than this.”

Tosh had broken the interference down by seventy five percent and she hoped it wouldn’t take much longer. 

“So,” she began. “Do you need to talk about what happened after the meeting?”

“Probably.” Replied Elise, her coat draped over her shoulders to block out the slight chill in the air. 

“I wish you’d talk to me about these things. Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you. It’s just hard for me to talk about. Every time you ask I want to say something, but it’s like my mouth just says I’m ok no matter how I’m really feeling. I can’t help it.”

“No matter what it is I’ll try and understand.”

“Just you being here with me is enough.”

“I’m glad but… I want to understand. I thought we could both be open and honest with each other.”

She sighed deeply. “Tonight, even if we sort this lie censor thing, I’ll explain. I just don’t want to tell you and have you think I’m being stupid.”

“I won’t. If it makes you cry then it’s important to me. It doesn’t matter what anyone else might think. If nothing else I can at least listen.” She pressed her forehead against Elises. “You’d do the same for me.”

“Always.”

“Owen feels the same too, even if he has trouble saying it.”

Eli smiled weakly. “I know.” 

“So, a hopefully lighter question.” She sat back in her chair. “What’s your thing about dresses and skirts all about?”

“You’re going to think that one’s silly.”

“Come on, please.”

Elise blushed. “When I was a kid the boys at my school used to try and look up my skirt all the time. Plus, once I was well enough, I got in to PE at school and I found skirts and dresses just got in the way. They make me feel vulnerable. I know it’s stupid.”

“It isn’t stupid. I can follow your logic and you don’t have to dress any way you don’t want to. I was just curious.”

“I look pretty good in a suit though.”

“You’ll have to show me.”

“Think I should follow Iantos example?”

“I thought we were being PG at work.”

“We are. You’ll just have to wait until we get home to have your way with me.”

“Now you’re just being distracting.” She giggled. “I know I shouldn’t be but I’m glad this lie censor is affecting us. I don’t think you would have been able to talk to me like this without it.”

Elise pointed to the computer screen. “Speaking of.”

The screen showed a map and a clear signal from the lie censor. “We should go and get it. It’s not dangerous so we can just grab it and be back before the others.”

“Famous last words but ok. You outrank me so if this goes bad then it’s on your shoulders.”

“If it gets dangerous we’ll call for backup.” 

“Yes ma’am.”

Owen sighed deeply, sliding down the wall outside of the last victims ward, as Gwen approached. 

She frowned, guessing why he looked so worn. “They all had the same level of exposure to the tablet, didn’t they.”

“Yea… It’s not just eyes growing but the result’s the same. There’s nothing I can do.”

“We can stop it hurting anyone else.” 

“I hate feeling useless.” He lent heavily on his knees, running a hand over his face. 

She crouched down and placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault.”

“I know… We should get back and get that tablet destroyed. I’ve told the head nurse to send us the bodies when they pass.”

She offered her hand to help him up which he took. A sudden blood curdling scream swept through the hallway from Lucas’ room. Sprinting over Owen tore the door open to see the man writhing, the flesh of his arm bubbling and growing, new eyes opening as it grew. 

“It hurts!” Lucas cried as his body contorted, his voice sounding choked and wet. Flesh and eyes poured over the side of the bed as Owen edged round to the last bit of unaffected tissue on Lucas’ neck.

“I’m sorry.” He said, loading up the injector with enough morphine to end the poor mans suffering. Moments after it was pressed against his skin Lucas fell still, all of his eyes closing for the last time. 

“Is this going to happen to the others?” Gwen asked. A set of screams from the ward further down answered her question for her.

Owen rushed past, reloading the injector ready to put the other victims out of their misery. One of the nurses was thrown from the room, landing hard on the floor as the flesh creature loped forward, dragging the mass that used to be its arm behind it. 

“Bloody hell.” Gwen gasped, drawing her gun and aiming for the things head. “Stop!”

Owen could barely believe this was the same man he’d spoken to only minutes before. “Joseph! Stop, just let me help you.”

The lurching figure wheezed and turned to face Owen, roaring as it charged. Gwen fired three shots into Joseph who, though in more pain and staggering, didn’t fall. He did on the other hand continue his charge at Owen. The doctor dodged out of the way as Joseph ran into the wall, cracking the plaster. Owen took the moment of confusion to inject the lethal dose into the mutated mans leg before skittering away on the slick floor, loading what morphine he had left into the injector. He was carrying plenty that could kill a human being but that was his go to for humans that were much too far gone to save. The others that had been in direct contact with the tablet were sedated but still growing. Their deaths would be painless but it still hit Owen hard. They couldn’t let this happen again. 

Solomon Ascher lent back in his wing back chair, swirling a glass of red wine in his right hand. He was getting settled in this world and was still basking in the afterglow of invading the guards at the museum. Their pain and fear tasted like a heady mix of warm beer and home cooked food. Common but no less enjoyable. The woman, whos house he’s commandeered, sat at his feet and smiled dreamily up at him. A weak minded thing, he thought, but useful. Maybe he could add to his collection once the annoyance that was Torchwood was dealt with. By then he’d have a new vessel to play with. She’d tasted like salted caramel and rose water with the slight tang of blood. It was almost addictive and he couldn’t wait to taste it again. In the meantime he considered getting one of her friends to see if they had anything similar. Maybe if they managed to find the tablet he’d pop by and have a quick taste. 


	2. Evidence

A wind chime rang out as Tosh opened the small shop door, a wave of incense punching her in the nose. A myriad of gemstones and figures decorated a display below a bookshelf filled with books about magic, herbs and crystals. The shop was your typical cutesy gifts and tarot cards affair. Generally harmless. She slipped the scanner into her sleeve to keep it out of sight. It buzzed against her wrist the closer she got to the signal. The lady behind the counter looked as much a part of the shop as the windchimes or dreamcatchers. Her hair was held in a loose braid that ran over her shoulder and ended in a beaded band. Her shirt was loose cotton, decorated with wavy lines in muted earthy tones and she had multiple necklaces made with wooden beads. 

“Welcome.” She said breathily. “If there’s anything you need help or advice with I’m here to help.” 

Tosh smiled. “Thanks. We’re just browsing.”

Elise picked up one of the boxes of tarot cards.

“Eli, no shopping.” She said quietly, nudging her in the arm. 

“Be a bit suspicious if we weren’t shopping. Anyway, look at them, they’re cats.” 

“They are adorable.”

“Exactly. Anyway, any sign of our lie suppressor?”

She walked around to the other side of the shop, her wrist buzzing consistently. A large crystal ball was displayed inside a glass case with other large gems. It shifted in colour and had a slight pull to it.

The tag sitting in front of it displayed £200. It would be worth it.

“Excuse me. I’d like the crystal ball please.”

The woman behind the counter drifted over and took a key from her belt to open the case. “Isn’t it pretty? I’ve been looking at it myself.” She lifted it down and took it to the counter to place it in a box. Tosh took out the black card that was only used for work purchases and placed it into the machine. 

“Where did it come from? I’ve never seen a crystal like this before.” Elise asked, hoping the woman would say she just found it.

“This really fancy bloke came in with it and said he just wanted to find a good home for it. My boyfriend said I couldn’t keep it.”

“What did this guy look like?”

“Tall, dark hair, the most striking green eyes I’ve ever seen. There was something… Magical about him.”

Her stomach churned, hearing the description. Tosh took back the card and slid it away inside her purse before taking the box that held the orb. It almost buzzed in her hands. 

Jack couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing as he stepped into the cordoned off ward. Owen was slumped down in a chair, taking a moment after having to drag Lucas through the hallway. Gwen looked just as winded but she was spending her time covering the masses of eyes with sheets as most were staring blankly into space and it was incredibly unnerving. As if being surrounded by masses of flesh wasn’t already.

“What the hell is all this?” Asked Jack, being very careful where he put his feet.

Owen pulled himself up. “These are the ones who were exposed to the tablet. Just going on what I’ve seen here it promotes the rapid growth and mutation of cells. Starts off slow and ramps up until they end up as one of these things. We need to isolate that tablet before anyone else ends up like this.”

“Small problem. It’s been stolen.”

“Who the fuck would want something like that?”

“I’ll give you three guesses.”

“No.”

“Yea. In broad daylight. The guards were left… Broken.”

“Shit. So, what now?”

“We get these bodies put away and regroup. See what you can find with them just in case we have more people exposed to it before we can destroy it.” 

“Great.” He sighed.

Elise lent on Toshikos desk as she examined the crystal orb. “So, here’s where my teacher made their biggest mistake. He insisted on us bringing in our prom outfits for him to clear so we didn’t do anything controversial. In we walk with three suits and a ball gown. Traditional, right? Well, he didn’t check the sizes of the clothing. The night of prom we walk out on stage, me in my black suit and our six foot six, rugby player, lead singer in the frilliest ball gown I have ever seen. Full makeup, hair up with pearls in and everything. He looked fabulous and it was too late for the teachers to do anything about it.”

Tosh laughed, looking up from the orb. “You got away with that?”

“What were they gonna do? If they said anything then we’d have them for discrimination.”

“Such a troublemaker.”

“You love me for it.”

“I love you in spite of it. Same for Owen.”

Their conversation was cut short by the others return. Jack smiled, seeing the orb.

“So, at least you have some good news.” 

Tosh nodded. “I’m trying to work out how to switch it off.”

“I always used to just throw them at the nearest wall.”

“I’d rather find out how it works first, but I suppose as a last resort we know we can just smash it.” 

“You’re doing better than we are.”

“Oh?”

“Guess who stole the tablet before we could pick it up.”

“So we’re back at square one.”

“We know what it does now and Owens going to be working on how once we can get the bodies where they need to be. Keep working on the lie censor while I work on finding where Solomon took the tablet.”

Elise sat back. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“If you feel up to some heavy lifting, you can help move those bodies. Ianto had enough trouble getting them out of the hospital and mentioned his shoulder was aching.”

“I’ll go help before he pulls it out of joint again.”

Ianto headed to Jacks office after Owen threatened to strap his arm up for the next three days if he didn’t go and rest it. He didn’t feel too bad knowing that Elise, Gwen and Owen would have enough combined strength to get the bodies moved without too many issues. Jack sat, deep in thought, looking over a map of Cardiff. The most populated areas highlighted in red. 

“Any luck?” Ianto asked.

Not looking away from the map Jack shook his head. “I’ve got theories but no evidence to back them up. The only thing I know for sure is that people would have to have direct contact with the tablet to be affected.”

“That’s something… Need a distraction?”

He looked up questioningly.

“I’ve just been thinking.”

“Go on.”

“You know there’s the one thing we wouldn’t say because it was bad luck?”

“Ianto… What are you getting at?”

“I can’t die anymore so maybe it would be ok.”

“You know how I feel. Do you really need the words?”

“I… I’d like them.”

“If this bites us in the ass I’m blaming you.”

“Jack.”

“Ianto I love you with every fibre of my being.”

His eyes sparkled and a smile decorated his face. “I love you too.”

“Now I’m waiting for an earthquake or one of the walls to collapse.”

“Only because you don’t like to be wrong.”

“You can’t sass me when you’re smiling like that. It loses all effect.” He chuckled.

Ianto tried to look serious but the smile crept back. 

“Now, as much as I love the distraction I need to get back to work.”

“If he wanted to cause the most damage he’d have to break the tablet up and disperse it around the city. If he could powderise it he could pour it into the wind from a great height or contaminate the drinking water.” Ianto tapped the map screen, highlighting the water pipes that ran like veins throughout the city in yellow. He then set up a dispersion simulation from the highest accessible point in the city in green. The coverage was terrifying. 

“Damn. We need to find a way to contain this.”

“What about the solidifying decontamination foam. If we can get to it and cover it before it’s released then there’s nothing he can do.” 

“Good idea. Get as much as you can. We can stake out the water processing plant, but it’s going to be tough to choose which building would be the easiest to weaponize.”

“As long as the others are visible from her hiding spot Elise can just teleport to wherever he appears.”

Jack cringed, staring down at the map. “I don’t want her anywhere near him.”

“We’re not going to have much of a choice. I’m surprised he hasn’t appeared here yet.”

“It’s a game to him. He likes to feel in control of the situation and here he knows here he wouldn’t be. People… Creatures like that are terrifying. Every person around them is just a game piece to be thrown away or damaged on a whim. He could have easily knocked those guards out, killed them, avoided them completely but he didn’t. He chose to take the time to break them.” His fists were clenched hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

“Jack, are you-”

“No. I’m not. I’m not ok at all. I’m furious and I’m scared. What happens if any of you end up like that? What happens if the retcon doesn’t work? What if the damage is permanent?” He ran his fingers through his hair, staring down at the desk. He wanted to lie and say everything was fine. That he could handle it and no one needed to worry, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t lie. Not even to himself. He’d met monsters like Solomon and he knew that you didn’t get out of a meeting like that unscathed, ever. He jumped a little as he felt strong arms wrap around him, warm, comforting. He closed his eyes and took a long, calming, breath. 

“We’ll work it out.” Ianto soothed. “One problem at a time. Let’s sort out the tablet problem.”

“Right… Yea… Owen needs to concentrate on slowing the process post contamination and Tosh is still working on the orb, but she can leave it until later if needs be.”

“Good. I’m going to get the decontamination foam ready.”

“Thanks.”

Ianto stood back. “Any time sir.”

Owen stretched and rolled his shoulders. He’d studied a few of Josephs tissue samples and realised there wasn’t much short of radiation therapy that would slow the process but, after some digging, he’d managed to find some residue from the tablet itself in a small cut on his hand. It hadn’t been washed away as it was trapped under the skin. The stone wasn’t something naturally found on earth. Its structure was unique and could be considered beautiful if it wasn’t essentially deadly. If it could be isolated inside the body it might slow down the mutation and multiplication process enough to give the radiation a chance to kill off the damaged cells. It wasn’t a cure, but it would be better than nothing. He’d need to modify a set of white blood cells to recognise and swarm the mineral without being affected. Something to make a barrier. Sadly, if what Ianto said was anything to go by, he didn’t have time for that. The only thing there would be time for is cutting off whatever tissue came into contact with the tablet and hoping for the best. He cleaned up the room, not wanting to have to do it later then headed up to the main area of the hub. 

“Well, good news and bad news.” He announced.

Tosh looked over her shoulder to him. “Good news please.”

“The tablet isn’t giving off any kind of radiation.”

“And the bad news?” Jack asked from the doorway to his office.

“The mineral itself is what causes the rapid mutation and multiplication of cells. Aaand without about a month of uninterrupted development time the most I can do about it is cut off whatever limb comes into contact with it.”

“We’ll just have to stop anyone else from coming into contact with it. There’s a chance he’s broken it down into a powder form. There are two places that would cause the most exposure so we’re going to have to keep an eye on them. If we run into Solomon don’t hesitate to shoot him in the kneecaps. Shooting him in the head doesn’t do much but if we can stop him moving we might have a chance to take him out. No matter how human he might look he’s extremely dangerous. Don’t look him in the eye and don’t listen to a thing he says. Honestly, facing him on on one is too dangerous, so our top priority is rendering the tablet safe by covering it, in whatever form it’s in, in decontamination foam. As me and Ianto are the only ones who know what his current form looks like I’ll be taking Tosh and Gwen to the water processing plant. Elise, Owen, you two and Ianto are going to be observing from the highest points in Cardiff. Wrap up warm. As soon as Solomon is spotted the second group can head directly to back the first up. You all have half an hour to get ready and I don’t know how long this could take.”

The evening seemed very still at ground level but so high up the wind was strong and biting. The view was incredible but it wouldn’t take long for it to not be worth the wind burn. Owen pulled up the collar of his jacket and crossed his arms, trying to hold on to what warmth he had. Ianto handed him a thermos.

“Here. I guessed you’d need this as you didn’t want to bring a thicker coat.”

Owen took it, feeling the warmth run through his fingers. “It wasn’t about not wanting to grab a thicker coat, it’s about me not owning one. My last one had to be thrown out and as winter’s a way off I didn’t think I had to replace it right away.” He grumbled before taking a swig of the coffee. He wasn’t sharing. 

Elise stood, staring out over the city in awe. She’d never had time to just look at her home from this perspective and she could faintly see the glimmering sparks that whispered of the rifts existence. It was beautiful. She understood why Jack spent so much time just viewing the place from above. 

“I’d offer you coffee but Owen’s claimed it.” Said Ianto, standing next to her. 

She chuckled lightly. “It’s ok. I shouldn’t be drinking caffeine this late anyway.”

“What happened after the meeting earlier? You looked-”

“Awful. Yea, I told Jack what happened with the missing page in my dream diary and… Well, you know.”

“I didn’t tell him anything.”

“I know. Just don’t worry about it.”

“I’m your friend, it’s my job to worry about you.”

Most of the workers at the water treatment plant had already gone home for the day, leaving only the security guards to worry about. They’d been told that if they saw any suspicious figures just to set off the alarms and leave them for Torchwood but Jack suspected they hadn’t taken him seriously. Inside there were very few places to access the clean and processed water as that was the point it rarely needed anyone to even look at it. That gave them a place to protect, but approaching the area, someone in a reflective jacket hadn’t left yet. 

“Excuse me, don’t you have a home to go to?” Jack asked, in no real mood for pleasantries. The figure turned, smiling. They held a large canister in their hands.

“I do and I will as soon as this is where it needs to be.” She said dreamily, swaying lightly. Her eyes were a sickly green and completely unfocused. 

Jack and Gwen both drew their guns. “Put the canister down.”

“I will when it’s empty.” She turned and Jack fired, making her drop the canister. Thankfully it didn’t open. Tosh edged round to grab it, making sure her gloves were on securely, as she reached out the woman on the floor turned and jammed a shard of something into her hand. She recoiled in shock and pain, sliding down the wall as the figure was filled with bullets. The shard looked familiar, the edge of a golden letter left on its dark grey surface. The tablet. Her mind raced. Would it kill her? Would she come back fixed? Owens words filtered through her mind and she knew what she had to do. She pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and took the psychic blade from its place in her belt. Not giving herself time to process what she was about to do she brought the glowing blade down on her arm, just below the elbow. The pain didn’t even hit her at first, just the stench of burning flesh and the ringing in her ears. Better short one arm than dead and she wouldn’t bleed out so it was the right thing to do, wasn’t it? 

Gwen pulled her away as Jack covered the canister and his friends severed arm in the decontamination foam to contain it. Turning back he could see Gwen trying to keep Tosh conscious and from going into shock.

“Sweetheart, look at me. You’re going to be ok. I need you to answer me, ok?” 

“I think… I was fast enough.” Tosh slurred, shivering. 

“I’m sure you were.”

“It hurts.” 

“Just hold on, ok?” Gwen took one of the small injectors from her emergency medical kit and pressed it against Toshikos shoulder. “That should kick in pretty quickly. I… You’re immortal now, yea? It’ll be ok.”

“I hope so. Is that how it works? Do limbs regrow?” 

Jack crouched next to them. “Yea. They do… Nothing short of a masonry drill is getting into that foam so we can leave it for now. Let’s get you somewhere warm.” He picked Tosh up and headed back to the SUV. Gwen glanced back at the mass of solid foam that had covered and disguised the body before following. She tapped her earpiece.

“Owen? Ianto? Elise? We’ve stopped one of Solomons people from contaminating the water but we didn’t see the man himself. Can’t confirm it’s the whole thing either so keep an eye out.”

“And here I was hoping we could go inside and warm up.” Owen grumbled. “You joining us?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll contact you when I am.”

“Don’t leave us hanging for too long eh?” He was more than a little suspicious when she cut the call without another word but he’d worry about that later. “Sounds like he can’t even be arsed to do his own dirty work anymore.”

Ianto frowned. “That or he’s given up a pawn to lure us into a trap.”

“What kind of trap? We were here anyway.”

“There are a million possibilities.”

“And all of them don’t get us anywhere warm.”

“True.” He walked to the east side of the rooftop to see the buildings around them, on edge. Elise was watching the West side, trying not to be distracted by the sparks. She turned to see Owen being grabbed by the back of the neck. 

“Let him go!” She screamed. 

Solomon smirked. “I could but I’d prefer to keep hold of this kind of leverage. Let’s have a conversation, shall we? And put the gun down Mr Jones, I’m not beyond using the good doctor as a shield.”

“Fuck you.” Owen growled, his voice choked and pained as Solomons impossibly strong fingers dug into the back of his neck. 

“He is feisty one, I’ll give you that. Now be silent. Me and my future shell are speaking. Now, to business, as you’ve been meddling in my affairs I thought it would be more expedient to simply ask you again. Will you hand over your body?”

Elise shook her head. “Never.”

“Stubborn as ever but I don’t think you understand the position you’re in.” He tightened his grip causing Owen to cry out, blood running down his neck. “This one might be immortal but you and I both know there are worse things than death.” He gave a malicious grin, his free hand taking on a slight glow, making it partially incorporeal. Owen could feel the light moving closer to him and it felt like insects crawling under his skin. So much worse than the burning pain in the back of his neck. 

Elise clenched her fists. “Don’t! Please!” She could barely catch her breath, panic sinking in. 

“Then trade. This pitiful creature, for you.”

“I’ll trade, just let him go first.”

Solomon threw Owen across the rooftop, Ianto sprinting to make sure he didn’t fall off. 

He didn’t know what Elise could be planning but she had to have something in mind. He had to try and hold Owen back from crawling over to try and stop her. 

“We can’t let her just-” Owen choked and wheezed, reaching out.

Elise walked over to Solomon who lifted her by the collar, laughing. “If I’d known it would be this easy I would have done this the first time.”

“Tell me one thing.” She said, hanging in the air. “The body you’re using right now is fully human, right?”

“Regrettably ye-” His words were cut short as she brought her steel toed boot back and kicked him as hard as she could between the legs. He crumpled to the floor, convulsing in pain. He reached up to grab her but three bullets cut through his elbow. 

“I’m going to make sure you never harm someone I love ever again.” She hissed in his ear, grabbing him by the back of his collar, dragging him to the edge of the rooftop. “I know this won’t kill you but it’ll hurt like hell.” She roared as she used all of her strength to toss him over the side. As soon as he was out of sight she ran over to Owen and Ianto, pulling them both into a hug. 

“Are you ok?” She sniffled, checking Owen over, running her cold fingers over the already healing punctures in his neck. “I couldn't let him… I couldn’t…” 

He pulled her hand away and held it. “I’m ok. What was that?”

“I’ll tell you later, ok? I might need some vodka to get through it but I’ll explain. I promise.”

“Can we get inside now?”

Ianto smiled softly and offered a hand to help him up. 

Owen was too tired to be an ass about it and took the help. “Thanks for not letting me end up spread across the pavement. I don’t know how you even begin reviving from that and I really don’t fancy finding out.”

“You can thank me by writing up your report on all this before next year.”

“I can’t promise anything.” 

“I only ask that you try.”

Back at the hub Tosh lay on the sofa, her arm completely numbed and hidden under a blanket. Jack had assured her it was growing back as she couldn’t bring herself to look. Gwen had sat with her for a while before she told her to go home as Rhys and Anwen would be missing her. Seren, the hubs pet plant cat, curled up on her legs happily. It didn’t even flinch as Ianto, Owen and Elise returned.

“What happened?” She asked, spotting the blood that had soaked into Owens t shirt collar.

“I’m ok. Had a bit of a run in with Solomon but he ended up a lot more … In pieces than us.” 

“What do you mean?”

Jack wandered over. “Yea, what do you mean?”

“Well,” Ianto began, “He threatened Owens life so Elise offered to exchange places. Before you get angry she didn’t intend to let him possess her. She just needed to get close enough to incapacitate him.”

Elise nodded. “I may have lost my temper and I may have kicked him in the groin so hard I think I may have broken his pelvis. And I may have then thrown him off the roof.” 

“I didn’t think that would do anything.” Jack said.

“It will have destroyed his human form which will take at least a couple of weeks to re form. It only worked because I caught him off guard… And I’m wearing my steelies.”

He winced at the very idea. “It gives us some time.”

“Anyway, you guys stopped the tablet getting into the water, that’s great.”

“Yea. I just wish there weren't any casualties.”

“Wait, what?” She looked around, her skin going pale. 

Tosh sighed. “Don’t panic everyone like that. I’m ok.” She felt everyone turn to look at her.

“But… What happened? Tosh?”

“I’m ok now. I just got stabbed in the hand with a piece of the tablet.”

Owens eyes shot wide. “No.”

“It’s ok. I… I think I removed it in time. I’m just waiting for it to heal now.”

As sore as he was he picked her up, still wrapped in the blanket, Seren jumping down to curl up in the warm dip in the sofa. 

“Owen, put me down. I’m ok.”

“I’m not risking it. I want to be sure.”

“I can walk.”

“Nope.” 

Jack smiled sympathetically, seeing Tosh give him a pleading look. “I told you he wouldn’t just let it go.” He watched them disappear into the med bay, followed by Elise, then relaxed a little. “I really hoped he wasn’t going to show up.”

“I’m sure Solomon’s wishing he hadn’t turned up either… They’re acting like they aren’t scared but… He’s stronger than we suspected.”

“I don’t know what our next move should be.”

“Right now? Shutting off the lie suppressor.”

He reached over for the crystal ball, still sitting on Toshikos desk, holding it up. It was about the size of a basketball, but it wasn’t as heavy as it looked. Wisps of colour swirled inside. “These were never very effective.”

“Not against you.”

“Usually the judges had more sense than I gave them credit for so these weren’t really needed. The truth can be flexible, subjective… What might be the truth to you might just be belief, not fact.” He brought it down against the edge of the desk cracking it in half like the shell of an egg. The colours faded, leaving only a clear dome. He placed the two pieces aside. “Done.”

“Tosh isn’t going to be happy.”

“I’m sure she’ll forgive me.” 

  
  



End file.
